Military AircrewA forum for the professionals who fly the non-civilian hardware, and the backroom boys and girls without whom nothing would leave the ground. Army, Navy and Airforces of the World, all equally welcome here.
No doubt you could say the same of the Trooping of the Colour, but that was carried live as always with a later recorded edited version transmitted. BTW I was pleased to note a more respectful (to those on parade) coverage this year. Better prepared and scripted facts, less ad libbing (which always reveal the true lack of knowledge) and less stating the blindingly obvious, but rather commenting in an informative way. So credit where it's due, but now this! The Beeb has form re BC and in particular with Harris. I suspect that this arrangement is as a result of BBC internal politics versus its duty as the national broadcaster to cover national events live. So live coverage restricted to smooth the ruffled feathers of the usual suspects. We can be sure also that the commentary will make repeated references to the "controversy surrounding the Campaign" but point out magnanimously that we may still commemorate those aircrew who gave their lives in it. Such a nuance will have little effect on those who condemn the Memorial outright I fear. I am glad that Robin Gibb's crucial part in getting the memorial to happen at all is highlighted in the link. The nation, and in particular the Royal Air Force, should honour his memory in some way.
Seems reasonable to me. A full tribute in the evening with live coverage on the BBC News channel, since it is, in fact.... News. BBC news is available to all digital watchers and that's everyone now.
I'm a huge BC supporter and aficionado, but let's stay focussed and not jump down the daily mail trail of outrage for the sake of it.
As for the "controversy surrounding the campaign"- To ignore that would be naive and simplistic. And yes - you can commemorate the sacrifice of those involved whilst still acknowledging the true horror of war.
As for "such nuances having little effect on those who condemn the memorial"... do you really think anything will have any effect on those people? I certainly don't think that a revision of the BBC coverage is likely to start them skipping off down the Mall humming the Dambusters March do you?
I think we should save the outrage for where it's really warranted.
After the coverage of the events on the river a week or so back perhaps the BBC Managment feel they are unable to cover an event of this gravity due to the third rate talking heads that they employ.
I would rather they did not cover the event than disrespect the crews of bomber command with an hour or so of uninformed drivel from so called celebraties.
So the BBC is going to cover the event in what appears to be an extensive and expensive way on prime time. The BBC has also in the past couple of years made (or commissioned or bought, whichever it is) features such as First Light, Wellington Bomber and the two McGregor fronted aviation films. Yet a nasty headline from the nasty pornographer owned Express gets the right-wing attack dogs going on here.
I'm a huge BC supporter and aficionado, but let's stay focussed and not jump down the daily mail trail of outrage for the sake of it.
The Daily Mail is such a useful whipping boy these days it seems that it now has to take the flak generated by its rivals! The link was to a Daily Express story. As to outrage, I'm way past that these days where the BBC is concerned. Its editorial stance is so predictable as to generate in me mere weary resignation, hence the pleasant surprise of the Trooping. You get to anticipate the fading out of the Massed Bands as Huw or Clare warm to more bon mots re heat, rain, the Royal Colonels, the non Royal Colonels, or horses's hands. I suggest that the reason that they didn't do that this time to the usual extent was as a direct result of the Thames outcry, but the Beeb is already returning to default attitudes it would appear. A lack of gravitas would hence be seen as a plus rather than a minus, allowing of "inclusiveness" and "empowerment" for all viewers. I was amused at a comment on another thread that what the Beeb lacked for the Thames coverage was a Dimbleby. Unless they meant Dimbleby senior, who did indeed have gravitas, then I would have to respectfully disagree. Indeed respect, or rather the lack of it, is at the crux of the matter. There were many thousand participants in the Thames Royal event, many many thousands of spectators, and an enormous amount of organisation and effort into arranging it. The lack of any such effort by the BBC showed a lack of respect to all those people and all their effort. So it is with the Bomber Command Memorial. I disagree that it is mere news, for anything can be so dismissed. It is almost 70 years late mainly because of the very attitudes that I ascribe to the BBC. That is the newsworthy side of it; that the survivors have had to wait for their memorial to the point where there are now so very few left, because of the moral outrage of the chattering classes that stood in its way for so long! This unveiling should be covered live on the terrestrial channels by a BBC keen to make amends for such opposition and to pay tribute to the 50% of BC aircrew that made the ultimate sacrifice for this nation, for freedom from tyranny, and for peace. But they won't of course, will they?
You get to anticipate the fading out of the Massed Bands as Huw or Clare warm to more bon mots re heat, rain, the Royal Colonels, the non Royal Colonels, or horses's hands. I suggest that the reason that they didn't do that this time......
They did manage to state that this was the 60th time HM The Queen had attended Trooping the Colour
The BBC are too busy selecting hopefuls with sob-stories who will compete on live TV for the honour of taking part in next year's Trooping the Colour in a new series called "Walk With The Flag". They will be whittled down in a series of live programmes, hosted by drill expert Claudia Winkleman, until the winner is chosen by the public following extensive training from the two Johns - (Nichol and Barrowman) who are the obvious experts. The departing contestants will say goodbye on each show by "going over the top" while wearing a military greatcoat and a poppy.
In this flagship programme, the winner will be allowed to wave the flag in front of all those marching soldiers in a new routine coreographed by Barrowman (after all, the old WW2 type marching was getting so old fashioned), together with £1,000,000 of taxpayers money and a Diamond Jubilee Medal that will be presented by the Duchess of Cambridge during the parade. Contestants are being chosen from many ethnic and sexual orientation backgrounds to demonstrate Modern Britain. The BBC state that the winner will display the Highest Possible Standard (except when it gets really heavy). By leading this new parade he, she or it will be the envy of the World".
Meanwhile, Nichol will identify all of the hardware on parade (although he may be somewhat rusty on any AAA that may appear) including the bayonet and a webbing belt. Viewers can win tickets to next years event by identifying the deliberate mistake in each week's programme.
With all this in train, it proved really difficult to fit in the unveiling of the BC Memorial. A BBC programmer said that the unveiling was "not suitable for a younger audience and it had proved too difficult to dumb down init".
That sounds good to me. Maybe more viewers than at midday?
Quite so, Courtney Mil, including most of the under 16 population who will be in school. Not saying that they are all going to rush home to watch it at 5pm, but at least they'll have the opportunity, which they wont have at midday. Storm in a teacup here, I reckon.
Oh and I quite liked the Trooping of the Colour coverage - huge improvement on the Diamond Jubilee Celebrations.
Perhaps I was a little hard on the BBC in my first comments, reflecting apron the issue I would think that after the appalling coverage of the river pageant the BBC management Know without doubt they don't have the quality of staff to cover the event live. Realising that thay can't afford another fiasco the best option is to cover the events later in the day with a recorded program that they have the chance to edit out all the mistakes.
This is probably the best option as at least the program has a fighting chance of being free of celebrity induced inaccurate mouth noise.
I find it very sad that the BBC has lost its direction and continues to compleatly miss the events of national importance, Sky News Realising the importance of the Airbus A380 project to the industrial base of the UK covered the first flight live, the BBC breakfast news meanwhile was covering woman's golf and failed to give any coverage at all to A380 first flight. This is just the most glaring example of BBC lack of focus with an aviation theam that I can think of, I'm sure others can recall other and more recent examples of the BBC loosing the plot when it comes to issues of national importance.
A & C I don't remember the year but I do know it was a monday. I always arrived home from Saudi Arabia on a monday and usually bad things happened that day! On the BBC evening news the headline story was another government minister with his finger in the till. The lead story on the ITV news was a nerve gas attack on the Tokyo Subway! nuff said!
A&C if this were but a case of self recognition by the Beeb of its inability to present live an event of national importance then I for one would welcome this first uncertain step towards Damascus. A beguiling notion but upon reflection I would have to sternly chide myself to "dream on". The Corporation is and has been in the thrall of those with an agenda concerning the Monarchy, the Armed Forces and, in particular for the purposes of this thread, the WWII RAF Bombing Campaign. Most of its output on the subject has pursued the party line, as discussed here in previous threads. It represents the very forces that have effectively prevented the creation of a proper National Bomber Command Memorial until now. Such a cruel rebuff to the survivors who have now dwindled to but a few is a measure of the lofty contempt for duty and service held by such "liberally minded" aficionados. If it be a choice between them and a deceased pop star and:
Quote:
the Express' pornographer owner
I'll gladly take the latter two any day thank you. Again I call for proper recognition of the debt that both this Nation and the RAF owe to Robin Gibb, without whom the forces of darkness of whom I speak would have continued to prevail.
Couple of Qs: 1. Timing - Is the unveiling at 1200? 2. Where's a good position for uninvited guests to stand? (Is there an online observer layout plan?)
Now found the info I wanted.
Last edited by Basil; 18th Jun 2012 at 15:39.
Reason: info found
I consider my wrist duly smacked!
